Kohli: 'If I'm arriving somewhere I'll arrive at 120%'

Despite having played over 300 ODIs in a career of over 17 years, and having turned out in over 220 international matches across formats, all over India, Virat Kohli arrived early in Ranchi ahead of the first ODI of the series against South Africa. Despite the wealth of experience he has and being an ODI great, he wanted to suss out the conditions and get a few batting sessions out of the way as he plays just the one format for India these days. And his mantra remains the same: giving 120%.

It translated into a fine ODI hundred, his 52nd in the format, and helped India to a 17-run win in the opening ODI.

"I've said it before if I'm arriving somewhere I'll arrive at 120%," Kohli said after receiving his 44th Player-of-the-Match award in ODIs. "[I came early] because I wanted to get hold of the conditions a little bit, bat a couple of sessions in the day and one in the evening, so my prep work was done. I took a day off before the game because I'm 37, I also need to look after the recovery. I visualise the game a lot in my mind, and as long as when I think about the game, if I see myself being as intense, as sharp, taking the fielders and bowlers on, then I know I'm in a good space and I kind of relax and play out there.

"Today was really nice to get into the game like that. The pitch played quite decently in the first 20-25 overs before it started to slow down. I just felt like let me just go out there and just hit the ball, not think too much about any of the other stuff, it's just me and the ball coming at me and just enjoy the game of cricket which was the very reason I started playing this game. It was just about staying in the space of enjoyment, and of course, when you get a start and you get a situation then you know what you've done over so many years, the experience kicks in, and you understand the situation and you're able to build an innings."

Being asked to bat, Kohli went out to bat in the fourth over to join Rohit Sharma after Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught behind for 18. Kohli got to his fifty off 48 balls and then his century off 102 balls in good batting conditions with captain KL Rahul at the other end. He finished on 135 off 120 balls that was studded with seven sixes - only the third time in his ODI career of 294 outings that he struck more than five in an innings and led India to a strong total of 349 in front of a packed house in Ranchi. It was his second ODI century of the year, the other being the unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in the Chamoions Trophy earlier this year in Dubai.

"If you play 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket over the last 15-16 years, as I said if you're in touch with the game and you know that when you're hitting balls at practice, your reflexes are there, your physical ability is there to bat long, if you can bat an hour and half to two hours in the nets without taking a break, you're kind of meeting all those markers. I understand if there's a dip in form, you look for games and you try to get that form back. But as long as you're hitting the ball well and you're playing good cricket, I think at this stage with the experience that I have for me, it's about being physically fit, mentally ready and excited to play the games that I'm playing, and more or less everything else should take care of itself.

"I've never been a big believer of a lot of preparation. All my cricket has been mental. As long as I feel mentally I can play the game, I work physically very hard every day of my life it's got nothing to do with cricket anymore, it's just the way I live. So as long as my fitness levels are up and my enjoyment and mental sharpness is there, then you can visualise the game and you see yourself running as hard, reacting fast on the ball, then you know it's fine. [I know] one of the days when the game opens up and you get a start, you'll be able to score some runs."